Past
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Note some answers have been translated from their original language or altered by the request of the correspondent
| Tell us a short story about your background in science! Do you want to share an image or a video that represents your story as a tropical/subtropical ecologist? Go ahead! |
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| I am a biologist with a passion for ecology, plants and statistics. When I was in high school I only thought about studying a career in science. when i hold my in undergraduate in Biology. I worked for 5 years as a botanist. I visited many mega diverse places in my country, such as tropical forest, dry forest, savannahs and deserts. One day I started a master’s degree in biomedical engineering and worked with mathematical models for tropical infectious diseases. I have had to be constant in the desire to pursue the goal of being a scientist, it requires a lot of preparation and dedication. |
| I was born and raised in Colombia but MS PhD posdoc and job in the USA. I do not want to go back to Colombia. I worked for a while in Colombia but the cronyism, corruption, and violence make me leave, it is not worth it, that idea of return to your country to give back it is a huge lie and a scam. It is difficult for non US citizen to apply and compete for jobs in the USA or Europe, and it is frustrating see US citizens that only went to a tropical place for a summer to take field data, or attended and conference in a tropical country that did not even speak native language, to get jobs that more qualified non US citizens cannot apply. |
| I am from a tropical country, and very early in life decided to study something with animals. As I finished high school I entered Biology as a undergrad, but Biology was 5 yrs and a thesis at the time and place. So I took all courses and so on and went several times to the field to learn and do biology. Internet was not as extensive as today and in many areas no wifi connections or cell phones worked back then (it is still that way in several areas were I do field work today in my home country). We had to plan in advance many things, all equipment, books, gear, and so on, to solve whatever was needed; and planning carefully was partly experience, partly funds, and good problem solving with what was available, because there was no return to anyplace with those for over 20 days to several months. I was able to stay in some great places, mainly in the mountains, gather information with a small group of researchers and be fascinated and overwhelmed with biodiversity.Two little of it and its fun but you want more, and to many of it and it may be annoying. I will always remember going upstream in a cloud forest, walking inside the stream and the light becoming dimmer since dusk was coming and the mist covering all while hearing the songs and trills of birds going for their last meal, and the fist sounds of frogs starting… a magical place. I tried to do graduate studies several times, but at that time written letters was the way… and few answers came back, but no grants available. I continued doing ecology and research in the tropics, until years later was able to apply several times to foreign programs, but now through the internet and emails, so communication has been an allied as well as internet, studied ecology and evolution and graduated mixing what I had learned on natural history, ecology and evolution and field experience. I believe many ecological principles apply anywhere in the planet, but some views still on place may be different if more ecological studies are done in the tropics. |
| Most of my work has been abroad. I started in Costa Rica and then the United States. When I worked in Colombia in the field of science, it was always with short contracts, nothing stable. The only stable job was as an airport biologist for almost 5 years. My job in Costa Rica was a dream. I worked for 2 years as a field research coordinator in a Sea Turtle project. The place was spectacular and I met researchers from all over the world. |
| Since I was little I always did outdoor activities. He also had access to books with photos of animals and drawings of the different systems (respiratory, nervous, etc). I loved watching birds, especially raptors, and when I entered undergraduate biology I found a student group of birds, where I learned field techniques and bird taxonomy. Without a doubt, this student group (https://gounaves.wordpress.com/) was where I received one of the most important parts of my training, even more than many classes. Since then I have always stood out (and the members of the group) for knowing field techniques that other universities learn in postgraduate studies. Without a doubt, the biggest challenges in science have been in writing and using a second language. Writing and a second language (English) training is very poor in my country. I have managed to overcome these barriers by paying for private English courses and an internship that I did in the United States during my undergraduate degree, where I improved my English. I have also had the guidance of very good scientists who speak English as their first language, correct my texts and make suggestions that I am learning little by little. The best situation of being a subtropical biologist is definitely being in the field. Knowing new places, people, landscapes and animals An adventure! Once in the Brazilian Amazon (I did my master’s degree in São Paulo) I was face to face with a jaguar less than 6 meters away. We met eye to eye and luckily the animal fled. Although it was a very dangerous moment, it was a unique experience. |
| I come from Venezuela and I always wanted to study biology. When I entered the race I was not sure which branch I would choose. Eventually I settled on ecology, and marine ecology in particular. Something that I did not expect since I did not even know how to swim when I started the race. At the end I did my thesis on seagrass meadows, and I continued my master’s degree studying coral reef diseases. I have always been fascinated by the enormous biodiversity present in even the smallest patches of an ecosystem. |
| Making the field is difficult without the help of partners. |
| As a child my imagination was totally captured by the outside world - people either bored or intimidated me. Growing up in (almost always sunny) South Africa where year round outdoor exploring is very much the order of business only helped re-enforce this. As I grew older the idea of working in a ‘normal’ job was possibly the most unappealing idea - mostly because even now I don’t actually know what a ‘normal’ job entails and at this point I’m too afraid to ask. I knew one thing though and that was that future Tanya needed to work with the natural world in some capacity and not need to have an office mandated dress code. Biology was the natural direction to go into and I can still recall the exact first year botany lecture in which I decided that ecology was what got me really excited. Specifically interactions between species and then just getting absolutely blown away thinking about all the layers that there was to this. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to do my Masters abroad in cold, dark (NEVER sunny) Sweden. But let me tell you I missed home, Africa home that is, A LOT, although I did learn a lot and I think it is also what precipitated the (dare I say it) audacity of me to apply for a PhD program in Canada (even further from home but hopefully a bit more sunny). The decision to study far from home is something that, to this day, I think about a lot. There are a whole host of thoughts that run through my head regarding this. One of them is that I think its easy to fall into this idea that the grass is greener at some institutions/countries and that it gives you a chance to sit at the ‘cool kids’ table. There is probably some truth to this but having to leave the place that that moulded and shaped me into the scientist I am now in order to further my training to become a ‘better’ scientist doesn’t always sit well with me. |
Present
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Note some answers have been translated from their original language or altered by the request of the correspondent
| What advice would you give your past-self or a young researcher from your country? |
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| There is no easy path, all of them require maximum effort. You must try so many times until you get it right. You should never give up on your dreams, mistakes make us gain experience. Making mistakes is not a mistake, it is just part of the trials, without mistakes there are no successes. |
| Leave the country and do not come back. Get another citizenship. |
| Read more on natural history and ecological models and have a broad perspective and don’t believe everything you read or see. Test for yourself whenever possible what seems known and try to find a new way to ask what has been done using all tools available, since many new become available over time. |
| The first thing you have to learn to speak English is essential to be able to access information, courses and better jobs. The second they think of at least doing a master’s degree. In Colombia it is expensive to study, but abroad there are many scholarships and ways to cover expenses. |
| When birding, pay attention to the songs Buy a sound recorder before a camera Get organized with the data you collect and try to process it as soon as possible Study English and practice writing Learn to use R |
| Be persevering through obstacles, however, also reflect on your plans for the future. |
| Give up if the project doesn’t suit you. |
| That’s tough - I don’t want to tell them that they need to study abroad if they want to study abroad. But at the same time given the current climate at home I cannot deny that there are more opportunities abroad… But I think it is important to remember that your work matters and is awesome and cool - no matter where you are situated and that you belong at the cool kids table. This means you shouldn’t be scared to dream, or to reach out to other researchers no matter how ‘small’ you feel. ANd just because you are ‘working from home’ doesn’t mean you cannot collaborate, work with (and maybe even) visit other researchers! Also (more practically) twitter is a great resource for learning about opportunities as well as sharing your work with the world! |
Future
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Sentiment - remixed
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Note some answers have been translated from their original language or altered by the request of the correspondent
| Describe your dream of the future as a tropical scientist in a tweet (up to 280 characters). |
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| The science is overwhelming and can be innoptic at first. Just focus and stay on the path until the ideas are illuminated and the concepts are clear. |
| Senior scientists in a NGO or foundation or organization or society |
| New discovery on the way organisms live!!!! they seem to sense and bet more often on the future according to there past experience. Follow up in 20 years. |
| NA |
| My scientific dream is to be able to use evolutionary biology tools in the conservation of species, in addition to using science to connect communities and the decisions of the rulers. |
| Have access to a laboratory equipped in a University where you can research and train new generations |
| Doubts |
| Cool kids table goes global! All researchers and students are welcome to be a part of the bigger conversation |